Honda Bay Island Hopping in Palawan, Philippines

Honda Bay’s island-hopping tour runs from Sta. Lourdes Wharf near Puerto Princesa to three shallow-water islands: Luli Island for its tide-dependent sandbar, Starfish Island for calm, swimmable shallows, and Cowrie Island for lunch and the widest beach. A joined group tour costs roughly ₱1,500 to ₱1,900 ($24 to $30) per person for a full day, lunch included.

Honda Bay is the easiest day trip out of Puerto Princesa, and that is both its appeal and its limit. A fleet of outrigger boats runs a fixed loop between a handful of sandbar islands a short crossing from Sta. Lourdes Wharf. That means no early flight, no overnight stay, and no real planning beyond picking a departure time.

What it delivers is calm, shallow water, decent snorkeling in patches, and a lunch stop with actual shade and toilets. That is more than most day tours in the Philippines manage.

What it does not deliver is the dramatic limestone scenery that draws travelers to El Nido and Coron. The water here is pale green rather than Bacuit Bay’s saturated turquoise, the islands are low sandbars rather than karst towers, and on a peak-season morning the boats queue at the same three stops in the same order.

Honda Bay earns its place as a half-day add-on for travelers already in Puerto Princesa to see the Underground River. It is not a reason to build a Palawan itinerary around it.

Honda Bay at a glance: the stops compared

1. Luli Island

Luli takes its name from the Tagalog words lulubog and lilitaw, “sinking and rising.” The sandbar submerges at high tide and reappears at low tide, which is why every boat schedule times its Luli stop around the tide table rather than the clock.

At low tide it is a genuine sandbar you can walk the length of. At high tide it shrinks to a narrow strip, and the floating restaurant built over the shallows becomes the main attraction instead.

The restaurant sells grilled seafood, cold drinks, and coconuts at tourist prices, and it is the only spot on the standard route with a dedicated jumping platform for kids. Photos here are the reason most people remember Luli. The swimming is unremarkable once the tide covers the sand.

Verdict: worth it for the photo, not worth lingering. The sandbar stop runs well inside the time a boat allots it. Most of that time ends up spent in the floating restaurant, which is pleasant for a cold drink but adds little that Cowrie Island does better later in the day.

2. Starfish Island

Starfish Island is named for the orange sea stars that settle in the shallows just offshore, easily visible without snorkel gear in water rarely deeper than waist height.

It is the calmest swimming stop on the route, with a sand bottom and almost no current, which makes it the one place on the tour that genuinely suits non-swimmers and small kids.

A line of souvenir stalls sits just above the waterline selling shirts, keychains, and dried mango at a markup over what the same items cost in Puerto Princesa city. Guides ask visitors not to handle the starfish for more than a few seconds, since repeated handling stresses them; a quick look is the right amount of interaction.

Verdict: worth it for a swim, skip the souvenir stalls. The shallow, calm water is the best reason to stop here. The shoreline shops sell the same items available for less back in the city.

3. Cowrie Island

Cowrie is the most developed stop on the loop and the one where tours linger longest, usually ninety minutes to two hours over lunch. The beach slopes gradually and is the widest of the three islands, with enough cabanas and shade structures that it does not feel crowded even when several tour boats land within the same half hour.

Lunch on most packages is a buffet of grilled fish, pork or chicken adobo, rice, and fruit, a reasonable introduction to everyday Filipino cooking rather than a highlight in its own right. Cowrie is also the one island on the route with massage services, typically a basic foot or back massage priced per session and paid for on the spot in cash.

Verdict: worth it, the best all-around stop of the three. The combination of space, shade, food, and a genuine swimming beach makes Cowrie the one island where extra time is time well spent.

4. Pambato Reef

Pambato Reef is a snorkeling site rather than an island, a shallow coral and seagrass area where boats anchor for an in-water stop.

Visibility and coral condition vary with the season and with how many boats have passed through that week, but on a calm day it is the most consistent snorkeling on the Honda Bay route, with small reef fish, giant clams, and patches of healthy branching coral.

Not every operator includes it. Some budget joiner boats skip Pambato Reef to save time on the three-island loop, or treat it as a paid add-on rather than a standard stop.

Verdict: worth it only if your boat actually stops here. Confirm this before paying. Several budget operators leave Pambato Reef off the route entirely to keep the day shorter.

5. Pandan Island

Pandan Island, named for the pandan plants growing along its shore, functions mainly as a weather-dependent substitute. When conditions are too rough to land safely at Luli or Starfish, boats reroute here instead.

It has a swimmable shoreline and some shade, but noticeably less to see or do than the three main stops, and it draws the same volume of day-tripping boats without the sandbar or the marine life that make the others worth the detour.

Verdict: skip it unless it’s your only option. Pandan is a reasonable fallback when the sea rules out the better stops, not a destination to request on a calm day.

Where to stay

Universal Traveller has not yet reviewed a property in Puerto Princesa itself, so here is how to choose by price tier rather than a specific pick.

Stay in the city center for the shortest transfer to Sta. Lourdes Wharf and the most restaurant choice; the airport road and Rizal Avenue area both put the wharf within a 20 to 25 minute tricycle ride.

Budget travelers do well with a city-center guesthouse near the airport. Mid-range travelers get more for their money at a resort along the Puerto Princesa Bay waterfront.

Travelers chasing the dramatic scenery Honda Bay does not have are better off continuing on to Coron, where Universal Traveller has reviewed The Funny Lion and Two Seasons Coron.

Getting there and around

Puerto Princesa International Airport (PPS) connects directly to Manila and Cebu on Philippine Airlines, Cebu Pacific, and AirAsia Philippines. Travelers arriving internationally typically transit through Manila first.

Sta. Lourdes Wharf sits about 9 kilometers, or 20 to 25 minutes by road, from Puerto Princesa city center. A chartered tricycle costs around ₱300 ($4.80) round trip for up to three people. A shared multicab along the national highway runs about ₱25 ($0.40) per person. Joined and private tours include hotel pickup in the price.

At the wharf, every visitor pays a terminal fee of around ₱18–20 and an environmental fee that typically runs ₱40–150 depending on what else is bundled into it that week. Tour operators usually fold both into the package price; DIY travelers pay them directly at the registration desk before boarding.

Best time to visit

Dry season runs November to May, and January and February are the calmest months for the open-water crossings between islands. October is the wettest month by a wide margin, and boat operators sometimes cancel or shorten the route when seas are rough between June and October.

What it costs

These are per-person costs for the Honda Bay day itself, not a full Palawan trip budget, verified against current tour listings and DIY cost breakdowns in October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

More Honda Bay tours, tickets and day trips are listed on GetYourGuide.

• About the Author
• More info

Pauline Joie

Pauline has a bachelor’s degree in Tourism and is a professional content writer. She specializes in writing about travel and food. Pauline spent most of her career life in Dubai and is a Travel Expert for the United States and Costa Rica.

universal-traveller.com/